Meet the Team

Allison has over 25 years of experience in management, community development and corporate social responsibility.  After serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer, she spent over 15 years overseas working as a trusted community engagement advisor in the extractive industry in Mongolia, China and Kazakhstan. She joined Blanchard & Associates in April of 2015 as the Office Manager.  She knew immediately that the Behavioral Health field was a perfect match for her skill set and strong commitment to helping individuals and families struggling with substance use and mental health disorders.

Allison was instrumental in the establishment of The Blanchard Institute (TBI) in early 2016 and continues to lead the team as the Chief Administrative Officer. Her favorite part of coming to work each day is the TBI staff who inherently and passionately believe that recovery is possible and demonstrate that philosophy in everything they do. “I learn something personally and professionally from my team on a daily basis and it is an honor to be a part of this mission,” says Allison. Allison holds a Master of International Business Administration from Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey, California and is a Certified ARISE® Interventionist I (CAI-I).  Allison grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and currently resides in Charlotte, NC with her two sons.

When not working, Allison can be found running, reading, traveling and spending precious time with her family.

Alan Goodstat is from New York and obtained his Master of Social Work from Columbia University in New York. He has 30 years of experience in the Behavioral Healthcare and Addiction field as a Clinician, Clinical Director, Program Director, Administrator/CEO, COO and Chief Compliance Officer for privately held and private equity held companies. His leadership roles have been directly responsible for compliance, revenue cycle management, clinical programming, acquisitions, start-ups and overall operations of an organization’s service offerings and milieu. In addition, he has been a key member of a management team in two transactions which resulted in PE owned organization acquisitions.

Prior to joining The Blanchard Institute, Alan held the position of Chief Compliance Officer and Chief Operating Officer at Lakeview Health located in Jacksonville, FL.  During his 18 years at Lakeview Health, the organization grew from a 40-bed facility to a 250-bed, gender specific facility. Alan recently joined The Blanchard Institute as Chief Operating Officer to assist the leadership team in the continued efforts to provide the highest quality of care and expand services throughout the State of North Carolina. 

Samantha Hampson was born and raised in Europe but has lived in the Carolinas for the last 15 years. She has been providing Mental Health and Substance Abuse services in the Carolinas for the last few years. Samantha obtained her Bachelors of Science in Psychology from the College of Charleston and her Master of Social Work from the University of South Carolina.

Samantha has experience in emergency medical social work, mental health treatment with adolescents, and treating adults in outpatient substance abuse programs. Samantha is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker Associate, a Licensed Clinical Addiction Specialist, and an Internationally Certified Advanced Alcohol and Drug Counselor. Samantha’s approach to treatment is helping individuals find hope and motivation for life in recovery.

Samantha believes that involving the individual in their treatment plan is vital in developing investment in recovery and aids in fostering trust between therapist and client.

Stacey Surratt is a North Carolina native, and happy to be back in the state.  Stacey completed her Master’s degree in Music Therapy at Radford University and is a nationally Board-Certified Music Therapist.   Stacey has worked clinically in a variety of settings including hospital programs, outpatient treatment facilities, rehab clinics, and in private practice.

Her focus areas have included children and adolescents with developmental and behavioral diagnoses, adult mental health treatment, and outpatient substance abuse treatment.  In addition to music therapy board certification, Stacey is also a Licensed Clinical Addiction Specialist Associate. 

Stacey works from a relationship-based approach and enjoys incorporating creativity and multi-sensory tools into therapy sessions as a way to fully engage and retain growth from participation in the treatment process.

Megan Faulkner began working in Public Health in 2003 after earning a Master of Science degree from UNC-Chapel Hill. In both North and South Carolina, she tackled a wide range of community-level health issues ranging from exposure to environmental carcinogens to childhood obesity to suicide prevention.

After several years at home with her three children, Megan joined The Blanchard Institute in 2017 as an Office Administrator. In her current role as Human Resources Coordinator, she enjoys working closely with both the Administrative and Clinical staff.

With their support, she is actively working toward her licensure as a Certified Substance Abuse Counselor (CSAC).

Anthony Simmons is from Washington, D.C. He studied Business Administration Accounting at Howard University in Washington, D.C. He proceeded to work for the Federal Government for 18yrs starting at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) as a Staff Accountant and ending his career at the Office of the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) of the U.S. House of Representatives. 

He moved to Charlotte, NC married his husband and began a new life in the Queen City. He started his new career at Carolinas Healthcare System (Atrium) as an Accountant.

After 4 years there, he joined The Blanchard Institute as the Billing Coordinator and within a short time was promoted to the Accountant for the Institute. In his free time, Anthony enjoys the golf driving range at TopGolf and loves traveling with his husband, Frankie.

Jennifer is a native of Virginia and has lived in the Charlotte area for 14 years.  She is a Licensed Professional Counselor Associate, National Certified Counselor, and is pursuing licensure as Licensed Clinical Addictions Specialist Associate. Jennifer earned a Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Adams State University and a Master of Science in Education in Special Education from Old Dominion University. 

Jennifer has gained valuable clinical experience in residential and outpatient settings in substance abuse and eating disorder recovery programs as well as in private practice working with adolescents and adults with mental health disorders. Jennifer is formally trained in therapeutic yoga and utilizes a mindfulness-based approach in her work with clients. 

Jennifer is excited to be a part of the Blanchard team to work collaboratively with clients and their families on a continuum of care as they engage in their recovery process. The most rewarding part of her job is supporting clients through the healing process of recovery and seeing real change and growth in each client over time.

Jessica has been working in the substance abuse and mental health field since 2014. She has a diverse clinical background, having worked with those suffering from severe and persistent mental illnesses, substance use disorders, eating disorders, and other adult populations including college students. 

Jessica is a North Carolina native and graduated from the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill with a Bachelor’s Degree in psychology. She holds a Master’s Degree in Social Work from Florida Atlantic University. Jessica recently moved back to North Carolina and is both excited and proud to serve her community.

She utilizes an integrative approach in her practice and believes in direct, non-shaming, collaborative resolution of her clients’ needs.  

Zach Lee joined the Blanchard Institute in May 2019. A Charlotte native, Zach began his career as an actor working with The Children’s Theater of Charlotte where he brought an interactive workshop focused on substance abuse and dating violence to area high schools.

He relocated to Palm Beach County, Florida in 2006 and earned a Masters of Social Work from Florida Atlantic University. Zach began his career as a clinician in the South Florida area where he eventually became lead therapist for the elder adult program at The Hanley Center at Origins. His comprehensive knowledge of the addiction treatment process, from admission through discharge, and his exposure to the operational protocols of the healthcare industry led him to his current role in utilization review.  

Here, Zach is able to combine his clinical and operational knowledge to advocate for Blanchard clients ensuring that they receive clinically led, evidence-based care. Zach enjoys traveling with his wife, watching Braves games and auditioning for acting roles he never gets cast in.

Amanda Freels is from Morgantown, WV and attended business school at WVU. Upon graduation, Amanda moved to NYC, which is where she found yoga. Yoga was a catalyst for positive change in Amanda’s life and something that she’s passionate about sharing. She attended the 200hr RYT training at Yoga One in Charlotte in 2017.

She currently teaches at Yoga One, Charlotte Yoga and The Blanchard Institute. After teaching yoga in both public studios as well as therapeutic settings, Amanda has seen just how potent the yoga practice can be, and knows that yoga can have a profound impact on mental health, wellness and overall well-being. In 2019 Amanda completed training with Y12SR, a methodology of pairing the wisdom of yoga with the practical 12-step program for addiction recovery and relapse prevention.

Amanda is currently enrolled in a 900hr Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy training course, which teaches how to harness the power of yoga to get present with the body and allow the body to be a vessel for self-awareness and deep healing.

Celeste Hockenberry was born and raised in Charleston, SC, but has spent the last ten years in North Carolina. She completed her Master’s degree in Psychology with a concentration in Substance Abuse Counseling at Kaplan University.

Celeste has worked in a variety of settings including: outpatient DWI treatment, case management with individuals involved in the criminal justice system, clinical admissions at an inpatient facility and individual mental health and substance abuse therapy in adults and children. Celeste was a Certified Pharmacy Technician for 10 years, which has provided her with advanced knowledge of medications and their impact on the body. She has also spent time volunteering for the Domestic Violence Speakers Bureau and Time Out Youth.

Celeste has a strong passion for trauma-informed treatment and is a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional through the International Association for Trauma Professionals. Celeste is currently a Licensed Clinical Addictions Specialist and Licensed Professional Counselor Associate. Celeste believes the therapeutic relationship is vital to a patient’s success and her approach to therapy involves bringing creativity, humor, and hope into sessions to promote change. 

Nancy Harville is a graduate of Appalachian State University, with an undergraduate degree in Psychology and a MA in Counselor Education.  Nancy’s career began in healthcare, specifically in the field of alcohol and drug treatment. 

Her work experience includes several years of counseling, serving as a senior manager with an Employee Assistance Program company and leading human resources departments. 

She is currently certified as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) and is a Licensed Clinical Addiction Specialist (LCAS).

Andrew (Andy) Karabinos hails from Texas and has been living in North Carolina for the past 17 years. He obtained his Bachelors of Arts in Psychology from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and his Masters of Arts in Christian Counseling from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. Andy has worked in various treatment locales, including the Mecklenburg County Jail system, church organizations and hospital programs.

Andy’s focus areas include working with adults with substance use and trauma histories. Andy is a Licensed Professional Counselor, a Licensed Clinical Addiction Specialist and a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional.

Andy utilizes a person-centered approach to counseling, primarily using DBT and mindfulness-based strategies. He is passionate about helping individuals, couples and families engage in their communities in meaningful ways.

Gibbs was born in raised in Southern California, moved to Charlotte, North Carolina in 2014 to continue to cultivate her passion of delivering cuteness, comfort, and adorability to anyone and everyone she encounters. Gibbs was drawn into the field of substance abuse and behavioral health after her own personal recovery from a process addiction with chewing shoes and furniture.

She understands how such an addiction truly is a family disease—impacting the whole family. Gibbs is intelligent, focused, enjoys attention and being pet behind the ears. Gibbs received formal education through The Dog Knowledge Obedience School of Charlotte, NC. She graduated with spectacular mediocracy in obedience but excelled in the subjects of advanced charm, good looks, and tennis-ball catching. She loves riding horses, eating a good hot dog, listening to Dave Matthews Band, watching documentary films, and sharing global warming articles on her Facebook.

Coming Soon

Coming Soon